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hereforthebooks 's review for:
School Spirits
by Rachel Hawkins
Although not as great as "Hex Hall," "School Spirits" was an incredibly fun read. For a young adult book, it had everything I could hope for: Ghosts! Female friendship! Warlocks trapped in mirrors!
"School Spirits" focuses on Izzy Brannick, cousin of "Hex Hall" protagonist Sophie Mercer. Izzy wasn't as charming as Sophie, but she held her own as a strong female character.
After learning of a ghost haunting at a high school, Izzy and her mother go undercover to solve the case. Having never attended a real school before (and never having a friend outsider her family either) Izzy faces extreme culture shock trying to be a normal American teenager. With the help of some cheesy high school soap operas on DVD, Izzy tries her best to fit in. And she finds her own group of friends after joining the school's Paranormal Management Society (a.k.a. PMS).
Things I Loved:
-Torin, the warlock trapped in the Brannick's mirror. He was honestly my favorite part of the book. I even ended up shipping Izzy/Torin. Their dynamic was great and I loved the banter back and forth. Give me banter and I'll probably end up loving it.
-Izzy's friendship with Romy. While their friendship started off rocky, their friendship was actually pretty great. They bonded over ghost hunting, rather than boys or gossip. And when they did talk about the latter, it didn't make them less of a character, it just made them normal teenage girls. And I wasn't mad at that.
-Izzy constantly referencing things that happened on the TV show she watched. The show was perfectly dramatic and reminded me of the (now cancelled) shows on the CW like Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill.
Things I Did Not Love:
-Dex. I didn't hate Dex, but he was a bit too much of a Nice Guy for me. He literally says, "m'lady," which just confirmed everything I was already thinking about the character. Is it a stretch to think of him a fedora wearing meninist? Probably. But that didn't stop me from cringing almost every time he appeared.
From what I've read, "School Spirits" is a standalone novel. Apparently Hawkins said there could be some bonus materials published at a later date, but considering "School Spirits" came out in 2013, I don't think that's happening, as disappointing as it is. There were so many things left unresolved at the end and it left me wanting more.
"School Spirits" focuses on Izzy Brannick, cousin of "Hex Hall" protagonist Sophie Mercer. Izzy wasn't as charming as Sophie, but she held her own as a strong female character.
After learning of a ghost haunting at a high school, Izzy and her mother go undercover to solve the case. Having never attended a real school before (and never having a friend outsider her family either) Izzy faces extreme culture shock trying to be a normal American teenager. With the help of some cheesy high school soap operas on DVD, Izzy tries her best to fit in. And she finds her own group of friends after joining the school's Paranormal Management Society (a.k.a. PMS).
Things I Loved:
-Torin, the warlock trapped in the Brannick's mirror. He was honestly my favorite part of the book. I even ended up shipping Izzy/Torin. Their dynamic was great and I loved the banter back and forth. Give me banter and I'll probably end up loving it.
-Izzy's friendship with Romy. While their friendship started off rocky, their friendship was actually pretty great. They bonded over ghost hunting, rather than boys or gossip. And when they did talk about the latter, it didn't make them less of a character, it just made them normal teenage girls. And I wasn't mad at that.
-Izzy constantly referencing things that happened on the TV show she watched. The show was perfectly dramatic and reminded me of the (now cancelled) shows on the CW like Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill.
Things I Did Not Love:
-Dex. I didn't hate Dex, but he was a bit too much of a Nice Guy for me. He literally says, "m'lady," which just confirmed everything I was already thinking about the character. Is it a stretch to think of him a fedora wearing meninist? Probably. But that didn't stop me from cringing almost every time he appeared.
From what I've read, "School Spirits" is a standalone novel. Apparently Hawkins said there could be some bonus materials published at a later date, but considering "School Spirits" came out in 2013, I don't think that's happening, as disappointing as it is. There were so many things left unresolved at the end and it left me wanting more.